Rivers Cuomo
Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo
Rating: 3.5
Label: Geffen
The king of geek rock releases another selection of master-and-disasterpieces that fits perfectly in any alterna-pop fan’s treasure trove. First off, I have to say that the wealth of liner notes included with this CD may be the most engaging “How to Live Like a Rock Star” manual/story I’ve ever read. My advice any alternative music fan would be to purchase this album specifically for the anecdote-filled booklet penned by the voice of Weezer himself.
The notes read like a mini-biography or a journal of his exploits touring with the Weez circa pre-Blue Album 1993. Cuomo begins with his eye- (and ear-) opening read of Brian Wilson’s auto-biography, Wouldn’t It Be Nice and ending with the story of an unexpected collaboration with hip-hop producer Jermaine Dupri. Each story has what seems like an unintentionally intimate quality to it that lends itself so incredibly well to the song that accompanies it. The most endearing of which I found to be the story behind three songs: “Oh Jonas,” “Please Remember” and “Come to My Pod”. These three selections are a section of an abandoned project called Songs from the Black Hole, which was to be a rock musical he would use to “explore [his] feelings about relationships, stardom, and [his] life in Weezer.” In this tale of how Black Hole came to be, you learn of a hidden love of musical theater, how he enjoys the form in which these songs are created and its imminent impact on his songwriting style. The songs aren’t very good with incomprehensible melodies and transparent lyrics, but the truth and heart behind the songs is evident and of a strange beauty. This obscure emotion is present for the entire album and in no way feels forced or with false intentions.Cuomo’s knack for pulling those quirky heartstrings may be more present on this disc (and the previous Alone) than any post-Maladroit Weezer outing.
The actual songs included on this volume cover a wide range of American pop-rock and folk. From the opening trumpet fanfare of “Victory on the Hill” to the simple pop and perk of “I Don’t Want to Let You Go” to the sugar-sweet sensitive piano on “My Day is Coming,” Cuomo shows continued growth as an instrumental and vocal writer, enough that about 60 percent of what appears on this collection could easily replace anything that comes after “Island in the Sun” on the Green Album minus “O Girlfriend”.
Since these tracks are “home recordings”, listeners will have to look the other way when it comes to instrumental and recording quality. It’s not going to sound that great. In some cases, it will sound downright awful, but these collections aren’t for the occasional listener. I will have to say that the CD does progress in the fashion of most pop albums: well-composed openers (“The Purification of Water”), a slightly-experimental middle section (the Black Hole stuff), and a bang to go out on (“Cold and Damp” & “I’ll Think About You”). This was probably the best decision in the process of compiling this record. Just releasing random entries from Cuomo’s hundreds and hundreds unreleased recordings has the potential for atrocity, even among fans.
Alone II is a major step forward in this series of unreleased material and we can only hope that the best is yet to come in his extensive secret library. {By the way, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to put some of those songs on an upcoming Weezer album. Just a thought.)
by Cameron Mason
